Conventional shuttlecocks comprise a base in which is fixed the flights which may be individual natural features or a single integral flight formed from a plastics material. In neither case is provision made for adjusting the configuration of the flights or the mass of the shuttlecock thereby to alter its flight characteristics. Moreover, no provision has been made in conventional shuttlecocks to allow the individual feathers of the flights to be replaced in the event of damage during use, or to be originally fabricated from materials with lower strength to weight ratios than natural features without loss of performance.